Graffit's body was taken in a procession from the scene of his death to Fort Collins late Monday morning. A necropsy will be performed on the animal's body at the Colorado State University's veterinary center.
VIDEO: "It's concerning because not all avian influenza viruses cause this level of mortality in birds. There are a lot of avian influenza viruses that birds can live with, and they’re not getting sick and dying. So this is just a particularly pathogenic virus in wild and domestic birds and that is very concerning, and the ability of the virus to transmit directly from birds to mammals is [also] concerning." -Dr. Kristy Pabilonia
"We've been testing for [avian influenza] about a year now. And the volume goes up and down. Sometimes we can see up to 100-200 samples in a day. Sometimes even more than that, and sometimes we see just a handful of samples in a day." -Dr. Kristy Pabilonia
Records from Vesta's necropsy with Colorado State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories showed the bird tested positive for the avian influenza H5 subtype, which has been found in birds all across the country.
Nearly 6.4 million birds in Colorado and 2.2 million in Utah have died since April 2022 in an outbreak that Colorado State University's Dr. Kristy Pabilonia called the worst she’s seen in the U.S. in her two-decade career monitoring avian diseases.
A poultry disease expert discusses the avian flu virus, egg prices and how wild birds are driving the U.S. outbreak.
If you have sick birds or birds that have died from unknown causes, help is available at the Colorado Avian Health Call Line at CSU, 970-297-4008.
After a a rapid test for canine parvovirus, Dr. Lindsey Dunn ordered a more sensitive diagnostic test based on a method known as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, from the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, which confirmed canine parvovirus.
The State Veterinarian’s office has been collaborating with the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Colorado Horse Park, and private practicing veterinarians involved in the case.
Officials with the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed one case on July 23, after a beef producer in Sedgwick County reported a string of seven acute deaths in the herd they managed.